SPCA officer: tough but kind

By BOBBI SEIDELSTAFF WRITER

SPCA officer: tough but kind

The sight of a little terrier-mix stays with Victor "Buddy" Amato.

The dog, barely 3 years old, was lying among toys inside a vacant house trailer, empty since his owner moved out a few months prior.

"He starved to death. He had to drink water from a toilet loaded with feces," says Amato, chief law enforcement officer for the Monmouth County SPCA in Eatontown. "It was no way for a dog to die. It was a horrible case."

Feisty, outspoken, tough, with the stance of a martial arts expert — which he is — Amato, 52, also can be kind.

When the owner cried in court, saying she thought a friend was caring for the dog, he felt for her — until he learned she had regularly stopped at the trailer to get her mail but never checked on the dog.

Do the right thing for your animals, says Amato, who gets calls around the clock, puts in 40 to 50 hours a week, and supervises five trained volunteers.

One more thing: Don't hurt animals in front of him, like the guy trying to strangle a dog a few years ago.

"Be a man. Hit me instead," Amato told him.

"He made a mistake and tried to hit me. I used a judo throw and ruined his day."